Navigate:

Opinion Contributor

I'm (almost) the greatest -- just ask me

The author writes that Obama is nowhere close to being a transformative president. | Reuters

By AARON DAVID MILLER | 12/26/11 12:17 PM EST

“I’m Lebron, baby.” Barack Obama quipped to the Chicago Tribune’s David Mendell, hours before his impressive speech before the Democratic National Convention in July 2004. “I can play on this level. I got some game.”

Almost eight years later, the arc of the president’s self-confidence level has reached new heights. It’s not Lebron he’s comparing himself to these days; it’s three of our most transformative American presidents.

Text Size

-

+

reset

In a recent comment to CBS’s “60 Minutes” host Steve Kroft, President Obama admitted himself into the presidential hall of fame. “I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president — with the possible (my emphasis) exceptions of Johnson, FDR, and Lincoln — just in terms of what we’ve gotten done in modern history.”

Whoa! The president has much to be proud of and worried about this Christmas season. But the last thing he should be focused on now is where he stands in the presidential pantheon. And not to put too fine a point on it, that’s nowhere near Lincoln and FDR; nor LBJ (for civil rights, Medicare and Medicaid). To listen to Obama, you’d think he was America’s fourth best president.

All presidents compare themselves to their predecessors. With only 43 different presidents (Grover Cleveland had the White House in two non-consecutive terms), it’s hard not to. Bill Clinton admired Jefferson and Kennedy too. George W. Bush compared himself to Harry Truman, probably because he saw him as a kind of buck stops here, decider-in-chief. Reagan was fond of Teddy Roosevelt.

Rarely though, has a president had more presidential exemplars than Barack Obama. By my count, he’s mentioned, or others have compared him to at least six different presidents: As the first African American president (and from Illinois to boot), Obama identifies with Lincoln. He used the Lincoln bible at his swearing in; ate the Lincoln inaugural lunch (pheasant with soured cherry chutney, seafood stew, sweet potatoes, etc.); and recreated part of Lincoln’s rail journey to Washington.

Obama also admired Roosevelt (he had a Great Depression, I have a Great Recession). And he borrowed heavily from FDR’s 1933 tactics and tropes during his own first year. Obama also talked admiringly of Reagan too, praising him as a man who changed the trajectory of the American story. Several historians have reported seeing traces of Jack Kennedy and Bill Clinton in him, too.

Obama’s top exemplars are all transformative presidents; and that’s how he sees himself. There’s nothing wrong with aspiring to greatness. No less than 53% of the voting public (the most for any Democratic president since LBJ) came out for Barack Obama in 2008. And they wanted him to come to Washington not to sit on his hands, but to act, particularly in the face of a severe economic crisis.

Readers' Comments (176)

Did you read what Obama said? He said he WOULDN'T compare his "legislative accomplishments" against Johnson, FDR and Lincoln." He's placing them as out of his league. The entire basis for your piece is incorrect. He's saying DON'T compare my legislative achievements to theirs.

How can you write about President Obama's passage of "comprehensive health care"?

He specifically rejected a single-payer plan to promote a plan that is still employer based, that still leaves 50 million uninsured, that includes a non-compete provision for Big Pharma, and that leaves many of its features to maybe come into being after he may no longer even be president!

At the same time, President Obama keeps throwing out signals that he would be willing to cut back in serious ways on Medicare and Medicaid -- cutting benefits without dealing with the underlying aspects that push our health care out of control.

If President Obama doesn't inform us of what he has accomplished, who will? Certainly not the media. Nor can he count on his fellow Democrats.

From the Republicans we could learn if we remember that his record is the exact opposite of what they say.

The truth of the matter is that President Obama HAS accomplished a great deal. He was not bragging. He was responding to Croft's comment that this is true. It is very rare that anyone anywhere of any stripe will give President Obama credit for anything. A very sorry state of affairs. Any wonder the populace is in such an ornery mood.

Take a look at Bob Gort's comments. Single payer wasn't in the works because it didn't have the votes even with a Democrat majority in the Congress. The whiny left attacks him even worse than the ignorant bigots on the right. He is pragmatically, but persistantly doing what is possible. And that is a heck of lot more than what most presidents accomplish.

I am very glad he has this exuberance of self-confidence. Without it he would not have the strength to keep pushing ahead for what is best for this country--and he is doing this pretty much alone. This is what I have always seen in him. There's a whirlwind in the air created by a sensationalist media and all the attacks from the left and the right. But when it subsides a little from time to time, there is President Obama still diligently working hard and getting things done.

It is not very uncommon in politics for opponents to show little respect--especially in our present hate-filled atmosphere. But I'll tell you what: I have absolutely NO respect for any Republican politician. And that is solidly based in the fact that they deserve none. But I greatly respect President Obama and so do millions of other Americans. I was also raised to respect our President no matter what party he was from. I suspect that you were improperly bred.

All of the "great" presidents were treated with disrespect from their opponents. They may have accomplished the most, but the opposition was fierce. Just like it is today.

Mr. Miller, really respect your knowledge of MEPP, and agree it was dumb for Obama to give any impression implying (he did not directly state) that he is in such company, but ....C'MON!! Your column is essentially a two or three line punch line, at most, and does not acknowledge:

1. Other than FDR, I believe Obama inherited the worst economy of any Pres in modern (post 1900) US history. Negative 8.9 rate of growth in 4Q 2008. You can poo poo his accomplishment but at least acknowledge what he faced. TARP (kudos to Bush 43 also for setting aside ideological orthodoxy as he stared into the abyss) and the stimulus were both flawed but avoided catastrophe.

2. To paraphrase Joe Biden, health care reform is a big freakin' deal. No, it's not single payer, and yes, it will be fought tooth and nail as it is implemented, but Obama put a lot on the line to get it done. Much more than Bill Clinton, who has a hallowed place now in Dem Presidential lore.

3. Financial regulation reform. Flawed but an important step forward, less than ideal but much more than many in Congress wanted.

4. US reputation abroad. Obama deserves some credit here, too, not only for being not Bush but also for acknowledging the reality of the US' position and need to adopt a new form of leadership, even though the criticism that followed within US was entirely predictable.

What you find to be disgusting is a figment of your imagination. President Obama is a man of impecable character. He always scores very high on honesty and integrity in all polls. And talk about family values. President Obama has that in spades.

And when you say you oppose his policies, you are again holding up a strawman. He has governed as a pragmatic centrist--not as the lefty that you like say. That is pretty well borne out by the criticism from the left who say he is too conservative.

Obama is the Rex Ryan of Presidents. If Obama were a football coach he would guarantee the Superbowl every year.

This is a surprise? How is this news? This has been well known for 4 years. Oh...I get it...you must mean all the people who voted for change. They were right...we have change. I can hardly wait for the end of the Obama recovery. I miss the George Bush recession. At least I thought we would climb out of that. I have no hope of a recovery with Obama. At least Obama has warm happy feelings of how he is doing. Then again, he doesn't have to worry about losing his job because of the job he is doing.

The U.S.A. leans center right? Who says? The right? How convenient. I don't know about this article's premise, but I do think Obama is a far sight better than any of the republican candidates running for POTUS.

Did you read what Obama said? He said he WOULDN'T compare his "legislative accomplishments" against Johnson, FDR and Lincoln." He's placing them as out of his league. The entire basis for your piece is incorrect. He's saying DON'T compare my legislative achievements to theirs.

He not only compared himself to those three, but all but admitted that his place currently would/should be right under them...